Julia Culkin-Jacobia is a seasoned human resources and compensation leader with more than two decades of experience advising boards, CEOs, and executive teams on aligning pay with strategy, performance, and long-term value creation. She currently serves as Practice Leader, Compensation Consulting at Catapult Executive Consulting, where she partners with organizations across industries to design and implement compensation strategies that attract, retain, and motivate top talent. Julia advises boards, compensation committees, and senior leadership on executive and director pay, incentive plan design, pay governance, and regulatory compliance, bringing deep expertise in both strategy and execution.
Julia’s career includes senior HR and compensation leadership positions in both corporate and consulting environments. Her experience spans publicly traded companies, health care, technology, manufacturing, and nonprofit sectors, giving her a uniquely broad perspective on workforce and compensation challenges. She has led compensation committee advisory work, supported multiple mergers and acquisitions, and developed high-potential leadership programs that build sustainable talent pipelines. Julia has been recognized as a Women of Influence honoree and Human Resource Executive of the Year for Mid-Size Companies.
Today, as a Practice Leader of our Compensation line of business and Executive Coach, Julia combines her deep technical expertise in executive pay and incentive design with her broad leadership background to help organizations align compensation with culture, purpose, and performance.
Julia has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Buffalo and obtained her executive education certification from Harvard Business School.
Personal Perspective: In the dynamic landscape of contemporary business, the synergy between innovation and compensation stands as a pivotal driver for organizational success. My professional journey has been a testament to the transformative power of fostering a culture of innovation while concurrently designing compensation structures that recognize and reward ingenuity.
As a forward-thinking professional, I have consistently championed the infusion of innovative thinking into every facet of compensation design. Recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions to the company’s innovative endeavors not only fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment but also serves as a powerful incentive for sustained creativity. Through the fusion of innovation and compensation strategies, I aim to contribute to the creation of vibrant, forward-looking businesses that thrive in the ever-evolving global marketplace.